Protective means for electrolytic devices



July 12, 1938.. F. M. CLARK Er AL FROTECTIVE MEANS FOR'ELECTROLYTIC DEVICES Filed Oct. 2, 1935 Inventors Frank M. Clark Ralph ARuscetta,

Their Attorney.

P t z t 7 a entel July i& %38

PROTECTFJE WEANS FUR EEECTRQLL L@ DEWCES Frank M. Clark and Ralph A. ltascetta, Pittsiiel ass., assigrors to General Electric llompahy, a, corporatiori oi? New York Application (llctoher 2, 1935, Serial. No. %22 1 5 Claims; (Ci. 175-315) 'Ijhe present invention relates to electrolytlc lic casing and endangers as well the serviceahllity devices particularly of the so-called "dry" type, of t e active 't.

and has for a general object improvements in the In order to overcome these clilculties in the Construction of such devices whereb they may m uf tu' of d y ele tro yti d v t s 5 be manufactured With greater facility and. debeen propo ecl to wrap the a tive l m nts o the 5 pendability and Whereby they may be made to devices, which comprise the electrodes ancl the 'etain their stability, operative eficiency and electrolyie, ill p p p na d 'W either original desirable character'stics during extended pha t o Va n sh. HOWBVEI', f var is iS s d. periods of service. the elctrolyte may attack the same, and, irre- For reasons of economy, it has been common p e OI" w et r the pap l' b p nate-i practice in the manufacture of electrolytic de with asphalt or varnish, the eleetrolyte tends to Vices, such as capacitors and the like, to employ mgrate along the nat ons of the treat d metallic casings or containers. In the case of Wet p p used. wa y therore a low IeSSanCe electrolytio devices, the casing usually serves as p t the ta c C s g an thene& to %mund one electrode, that is, the cathode. However, in S obtainedu h s ed s h efcency Of e the case of dry electrolytic devices it is usual to t vt o evic and. 'may lead to die ectr c employ two metallic electrodes, at least one of alure. which is filmed, and to omit the casing from the A p fic O j ct f t p e nvention electrical circui In dry electrolytic devices, the thereore, e PT V S O in d y e o y casings therefore constitute hazards since they V o mp oved in ulatng a d seal means promote trouble resulting from low insulaton to Whereby he electrolyte p y iS Protected ground. It has been the practice heretofore to during manuacture oi the device from dama e insulate the active elements of dry electrolytic and o am at o a d W e y leakage Of the devices from the casings by ean of asphaltc electrolyte is preverted so that the device does material. such material is satisfactory as long not deteriorate in service or become susceptihle as large size casings are used so that suiiicient to dielectrc faillre 0 o nd space is provided for the asphaltic materia] be.u A. further object of the invention is the protweeh the casings and the active elements. How- Vision f an mproved. scaling and insulating eve?, commercial demands have made the u e means hamng the aclvantageous characteristics of smaller and smaller casings necessary. The o t in t e preceng l p and which obtaining of a satisfactory assembly using asat lh Same time inses against d a Of 't phaltic material becomes increasingly clificult as tro vt l v y eicessve p ur ue to the size of the enclosing casing is reduc d to p generation of gases in the operation of the devlce. proach the size of the active unit, and a point is Our lnventon is p rt ul rly ppl e n, and reached in this recluction of casing size at which S described he in COnmCtDn With, the the Sp between the unit and the casin is s struction of electrolytio capacitors of the so-cale restricted that it, is impossible to insure the cemdry typ C t n ss ts of t e v nt on plete enclosure of the active elements by means oweve of b ad pp a n in that i Of the a p ltc material. The reason for this he utilized 'with pronounced advantages in the is that asphaltlc material has to be heated to Construction of other forms of electrolytic devices G extremely high temperatures in orcler to lower su h & lightning aTFBSeYS, TeCtGTS and me the Viscosity suciently to allow penetration of e. the melted material into the small space between It may he stated generally that in the practice the casing and the elements of the electrolytia of our invention we att n the pr v o v set device. such high temperatures overheat the forth objectives and advantages hy sheathing or electrolytic compound and result in undesirable enclosing the active electrolytic unit, comprsing decomposition thereof. Moreove', it is highly the electrode' elements and the interposecl elec`= clesirable in the Construction of dry electrolytic trolytlc compound," in a protective covering of devices, particularly capacitors, to incorporate a n ulat ng material w c h e emb y, iS eaSC definite space to allow for thermal expansion of and which is impervious and hem c y resistafl? the electrolyte Without thereby perm'tting the to the electrolytic compound. A detailecl underpossibility of excess "bleeding" of the electrolyte standing of the manner in which the invention is from the active unit of' the device during service carried out may be had from the following tleuse, which "bleeding" is undesirable in that it is scription taken in conjunction with the accomconducive to high electricai leakage to the metalpanying drawing in which Fig. l shows in perspective an electrolytic capacitor oi' the rolled type;

Fig. 2 illustrates the manner of assembling the capacitor roll;

Fig. 3 shows the capacitor, with the casing out away to make clear the assembly oi the various elements in the completed device:

Fig. 4 is an exploded view llustrating an embodment of the present invention, and

Fig. 5 shows the elements of Fig. 4 in assembled relation.

The rolled capacitor illustrated is of the type described in. detail in the copending application of Clark and Koenig, Serial No. 4665, filed Feb. 2, 1935, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. However, it will be unclerstood from the ensuing description that our present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiment illustrated and that it has utility also in connection with other forms of capacitor construction both of the rolled type and of the stacl; type.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 oi the drawing, the capacitor iliustrated has a casing it, preerably of aluminum, and a capacitor unit iii' of the rolled type including armatures or electrodes il and i2 of suitable metal as, for example, aluminum, tantalum, magnesium or the like. In the rolled type oi capacitor these electrodes ordinarily consist of aluminum foil having a thiolsness of about 1 to 3 mils. Between them is interposed a porous spacer it of imbibitory material such, for example, as cheesecloth or porous paper, which is impregnated or filled with the desired electrolytic compound during the fabrication of the capacitor as will be outlined hereinafter. In the drawing, two spacers is and lt' have been shown, since it is desired that a spacer be present in all cases between adjacent turns oi the wouncl up strip electrodes.

Before the capacitor roll it' is assembied, it is preerable that a film of oxide be produced on the foil electrodes, preierably by electrolytic treatment in accordance with Well known prectice. As outlined in the previously referred to copending application, the ioil may be oxidized at about 160 voits in an aqueous solution of borax and boric acid. While it is necessary in capacitors intended oralternating current use to have both armatures 'ilmed or oxidized, it is sufilcient when the capacitors are intended for direct current use to have but one oil or armature (the anode) provided with an oxide film. In this latter case the other electrode oxidized and in act may consist oi any metal inert with respect to the electrolyte.

After the electrodes are lmed or oxidized, they are then assembied, as by rolling, with the oxidized ioils and the spacers interleaved in proper relation as illustrated in Fig. 2. For reasons to' be set forth more fully hereinafter, it is prefereble that the roll it' be wound witha hollow core i i, as illustrated. Numerals se and it designate terniinals which may be of any suitable type brought out from or Secured to the respective foils in a manner well known in the art for the making of electrical connections thereto.

Treatment of the wound capacitor unit then takes place in accordance with well known prac tice in which the roll iiflis immersed for a suit able period of time and under suitable conditions of pressure and temperature, in the desired electrolytic compound which, for example, may consist of ammonium borate and ammonium acetate. At the end of the treating process the capacitor (or cathode) need not be v aiaaris roll is cooled to a temperature prelerably below '70 C. It will be found that the cloth or paper spacers are impregnated with the electrolyte which at room temperature becomes a semi-fluid or-plastic mass.

Following the treating process, the capacitor is cured" by means of an intermittently appiied alternating current or direct current voltage applied with reverse polarity at stated intervals, preferably of the order of less than one minute. If desired, both alternating current and direct current curing treatments may be given.

After the ouring treatment, the capacitor unit lil' is removed from the electrolyte and is then ready for mounting and sealing in the casing i@ in accordance with the present invention which will now be described in detail. First, the capacitor roll is scraped free of any excess electrolyte adhering thereto, care being taken to remove not only the electrolyte adhering to the outer surface of the roll but also any electrolyte which may be in the hollow core i l.

The cleanedcapacitor roll is then encased in one or more sacks or jackets of insulating material which, in the embodiment illustrated, are of tubular form with on'e end closed. In addition to the property of being electrically insulating, the material employed in the construction of the jackets should be also impervious and chemically resistant to the' electrolytic compound employed in` the capacitor, and, for reasons hereinater pointed out, preferably should be elastic. As examples of suitable materials which retain these desired properties during long periods may be listed natural rubber; artificial rubber compounds such as plasticised polymerized vinyl chloride and the plastic polymer of chloroprene; and modified alkycl resin corpounds such as those described in U. S. Letters Patent Nos. 1397260 to R.. H.`

Kienle et al. and 1975350 to M. M. Saford, which are assigned to the assignee of the present inven tion.

Fig. 4 shows an exploded view of an embodiment of our invention wherein two rubber jackets are employed, they being assembled as shown in Fig. 5. in this case, one of the jaclets, designated as il on the drawing, is slipped over the bottom of the capacitor roll iii', and the other, designated it, is slipped over the top of the roll. Both jackets are preiormed to proper size and shape so that they fit snugly over the capacitor roll. It is preferable that the bottom jacket be long enough to extend upwardly over a substantial portion of the sides of the capacitor roll 'and that the top jacket be long enough to overlap the bottom jacket and extend substantially to the bottom of the roll, this arrangement being shown in Figs. 3 and 5. :Both of the jackets are previously tested to insure their non-porosity so that they are impervious to the electrolyte employed in the capacitor roll. It is further preferred that, although the jackets fit snugly about the capacitor roll, they should, however, not be subjected to any great degree of mechanical tension. The end of the top jacket :133 may be simply pierced in order to allow passage of the terminals and iii, but is illustrated as being provided with formed holes or collars 2@ which are adapted to fit snugly along the greater portion of the length of the terminals to thereby eliminate danger of short circuits due to contact between any elements of the capacitor assembly. V

It will be evident that the described arrange- :ment of the jackets or sacls provides a shug- :tting non-porous sheath or enveiope completely enclosing the capacitor roll, providing care is exercised in forming the terminal vent slits or collars &il in the end of the top jacket. In View of the fact that the jackets are made of rubber or the equivalent, they retain their elasticity for long periods of time and are not adversely affected by the usual from external sources, and also serves efficiently as a scaling means to conne the electrolyte within the capacitor roll. I The jacketed capacitor roll is 'placed in the metallic casing i@ which is in the form oi a cylindrical can, the inside diameter of which is somewhat larger than the outside diameter of the roll in order that space fil be roll and the casing. A small body 22 of sealing compound is placed in the bottom of the can to anchor the capacitor roll thei-ein. We prefer that the sealing compound be an asphalt pitch with a flow point not higher than 100 C., but in any case it is essential that the melting point of the compound be carefully controlled so that the temperature necessary to maintain it in uid condition during the assembly of the roll in the can is not higher than 1 15 to l20 C. This is necessary in order to prevent decomposition of the ammonium borate or other electrolytic compound employed. The scaling compound is made to come only a short distance up the side of the can as indicated at 23, this being suficient to securely anchor the capacitor roll in the can. i

The top of the capacitor is then sealed in with a body 2 1 of suitable compound which may be asphalt pitch but which preferably is stearine pitch, this latter material being of a rubbery nature at room temperature to insure exibility of the top seal for reasons hereinafter to be pointed out. The top seal is not allowed to ll completely the' space between the capacitor roll and the can and is illustrated in Fig. 3 as extending only a short distance down the side of the can to a point designated 25. Terminals !5 and lt, which are of flexible alumlnum or like foil, extend with their surrounding collars 20 upwardly through the top seal as shown at i' and it'. The center space or hollow core it is kept clear and free from sealing compound. It will be evldent that the rubber jackets l'i and i@ not only insure against contamination of the electrolyte by the asphalt and other external means but also protect the capacitor roll from the overheating efiects of the hot asphalt during scaling, and it will be evident, also, that the natural tendency of the jackets to fit snugly about the capacitor roll due to their elasticity is aided by the lapping of the scaling compound over the ends of the encased roll. i

As a final step, which is preferred though not absolutely necessary, the open end of the can is closed by means of a disc 26 of heavy cardboard. hardened insulation material or other suitable material, care being exercised to leave a space between the disc and the top scaling compound. The rim of the can is then crimped over the disc to hold it in place as illustrated at '21, the terminals !5 and !6 previously having been connected to the external contacts 30 and 3! having suitable insulating bushings 32 and 33. A breathing 'vent 34 may be provided if desired.

By the assembly just described, two expansion cham ers are provided to'protect the capacitor provided between the f? roll from damage due to the evolution of gases during operation of the capacitor. One of these chambers is provided by the center core l l which is protected from the scaling compound by means of the flexible diaphragm provided by the end of the top rubber jacket iii, and expansion of gases is allowed to take place therein by reason of the .fiexibility of the jacket and of the top scaling body fi l. The second expansion chamber is provided by the space ?i at the sides of the capacitor roll since the flexibility of the rubber sheath provided by the jackets allows for expansion into this space.

It will be evident from the foregoing description that pronounced advantages are Secured in the-Construction of capacitors and the like in accordance with our present invention. Certain of these advantages may be briey outlined as follows: (l) Elimination of contanination and damage to the electrolyte during construction of the capacitor, (2) insurance against leakage of electrolyte and grounding of the capacitor roll on the metallic casing and (3) prevention of damage to the capacitor roll by gases thrown oli during operation of the capacitor. The use of asphaltic or like materials for sealing the electrolyte within the capacitor roll is rendered unnecessary and hence the difculty of manufacturc of the capacitor is greatly reduced for reasons previously set forth. The jackets or sacks constitute a highly eiiicient means of insulating the capacitor from the grounded metallic case and effectively prevent the escape of electrolyte from the capacitor roll so that there is secured during long periods of service great stability in the values of resistance to ground. And furthermore these pronounced advantages are secured irrespective of the type of service to which the devices are put and regardless of whether they are disposed in upright, inverted or horizontal positions.

It will be evident from the foregoing discussion that our invention is not limited by the details set forth and that various modications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In a capacitor assembly, the combination with a capacitor unit of the dry electrolytic type having metallic foil electrodes assembled into a compact body with plastic electrolytic compound interposed between the electrodes and having connection terminals extending outwardly from one end of the body, of a pair of preformed nonporous tubular jackets of elastic rubber each drawn onto said body from an opposite end of the body with one of said jackets overlapping the other of said jackets, each of said jaekets having an integrally formed closed end for covering a respective one of the opposite ends of said body and both of said jackets being of such size as to fit tightly about said body in order normally to seal said plastic electrolytic compound between said electrodes while providing for expansion of gases generated within said body, and means providing openings in the closed end of one of said jackets for the outward projection of said terminals.

2. In a capacitor assembly, the combination With a dry electrolytic capacitor roll having metallic foil electrodes assembled with semi-fluid electrolytic compound interposed between the electrodes, said roll being formed with a hollow said other end of the roll and providing a fiexible diaphragm over the other end of said hollow core, said sacks cooperating with said hollow core for providing an expansion chamber to prevent 4 the casing, and scaling means damage'to the capacitor unit by gases given o in the operation thereo 3. In an electrolytic device, the combination with an active electrolytic unit oi the dry type including metal foils assembled with semi-fluid compound interposed therebetween, of means providing a non-porous envelope of elastic electrical insulating material tightly enclosing said unit to prevent escape of said compound from between said electrodes, a tubular metallie casing surrounding the enclosed unit, said casing being of larger cross sectional area than said unit to provide a space between the sides of the unit and disposed adjacent the ends of said unit for anchoring the unit in said casing and for scaling off the opposite ends of said space with a. substantial portion of said space between the end sealing means being unobstructed to provide flor the expansion of said elastic envelope thereinto under the force of gases given off in the operation of the electrolytic unit.

4. In a capacitor assembly, a dry electrolytic capacitor unit of the rolled type having a hollow axial core and provided with electrical terminal connections extending cutwardly from one end thereof, means providing a non-porous elastic rubber envelope snugly enclosing the.capacitor roll with restrictedopenings for the outward projection of said terminals, a tubular metallic casing surrounding the enclosed roll and having an mesme open end and a closed end, said casing having greater cross sectional area than said roll to provide a space between the 'si'es of the roll and the wall of the casing, a body of hardened insulating material disposed adjacent the closed end of said casing for anchorng said roll therein, and a body of fiexible hardened insulating material sealing the open end of said casing with said terminals extending therethrough.

5. In a capacitor, an active capacity unit of the dry electrolytic type comprising paired electrode oils assembled into a compact body with plastic electrolytic compound interposed between the foils, a sheathing'of eiastic material enclosing said body and substantially conforming to the shape thereof and fitting tightly against the suraces of the body to seal said compound within the body, the material of said sheathing being impervious and chemically resistant to the electrolytic compound, an enclosing casing for the sheathed body and means :for anchoring the body within the casing, which said casing is relatively larger than said sheathed body in order to afford between the casing and the exterior of the body' a space providing for the expansion of said elastic sheathing in case of accumulation of gases within the body.

6. In a capacitor, an active Capacity unit of the dry electrolytic roll type including metallic foil electrodes rolled with plastic electrolytic compound interposed' therebetween, and a protective cover-ing for said unit including a pair of nonporous sacks of elastic insulating material respectively disposed over opposite ends of the unit, said sacks being preformed to such size and shape as to provide tight-tting continuous sheathings for the surfaces of the opposite ends of said unit and portions of the sides of the unit thereby effectively to seal 'said compound within the unit while providing for thermal expansion of the compound and of gases generated within the unit. v

FRANK M. CLARK. RALPH A. RUSCETTA. 

